Vodka Ginger Lemonade

The first thing you'll notice is the lemon's mellow tartness, then sweetness before the low gingery heat settles in. All that excitement in one sip.

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 (750-milliliter) bottle sparkling water

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 1/4 cups vodka

Garnish: candied ginger

How to Make It

Step 1

Bring 1 cup water, sugar, and ginger to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir constantly about 1 minute or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

Step 2

Pour sparkling water, lemon juice, vodka, and 1 cup of the ginger simple syrup over ice in a large pitcher; stir gently. Garnish, if desired, and serve immediately.

Step 3

Serve It in Style: For an eye-catching addition to your table, serve your drinks in a samovar. Traditionally used to heat water for Russian tea, samovars can be used for cold drinks, too. Diamond Cut Samovar, suggested retail $410, by GO Home Ltd.; e-mail info@gohomeltd.com for retailers.